Joe Langen  

(Nineteenth Century Printing Press)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Riled up.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Yesterday I read on LinkedIn a post suggesting that self published writers should not be allowed to call themselves authors.
CALLIOPE: In those words?
JOE: The suggestion was made that it "smacks of hubris" for self published authors to consider their writing better than what gets published by the big New York publishing houses.
CALLIOPE: Ah yes, hubris. Finally a Greek word. As it recall it means an exaggerated sense of self importance.
JOE: That's my recollection as well. I don't recall throngs of self published writers trying to outdo those favored by the big boys. I do think they would like some respect and are sometimes relegated to lower status by those who have made it big.
CALLIOPE: What explains this reaction?
JOE: In my opinion, they are the ones with hubris, at least those who lord it over self published writers or possibly their insecurity is showing.
CALLIOPE: Do you know for sure what their motivation is?
JOE: I have learned over the years that motivation is a complex subject and usually has more than one aspect. But you asked for my opinion.
CALLIOPE: Well taken. What's your suggestion?
JOE: Maybe those who publish with the big boys could be called elite authors while those who self publish or who write and don't publish could be known as pica authors. Talk with you tomorrow